South India’s first ‘no-single-plastic use’ street vending zone at Shilparamam

Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s Shilparamam will soon get its first no-single-plastic-use street vending zones by October end. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is close to setup plastic-free zone comprising 70 vendors at Hitec City, drawing parallel to Mumbai and Delhi. With an area of 800 meters, the GHMC is setting up an exclusive zone and claimed to be the first in South India .

Keeping in mind the essence of the project, the street will have a specially-built kiosk made of recycled plastic. According to GHMC, the booth will comprise of 2,000 compressed plastic bottles — collected from the various city households. Ms. Hari Chandana Dasari, West Zone Commissioner -GHMC said , “ The street will be free of Single-use plastic , the 70 vendors will serve food in special compostable plastic. The substance looks like plastic but it is made out of corn-starch, which is dissolvable . While , for customers seeking a parcels from the vendors, food will be packed in corn-starch boxes. There will be no single use plastic, making this the first ever street vending zone in South India. Vendors can use big plastic containers for storage, but we are trying to promote steel boxes for that also.”

Meanwhile, The Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) started their ‘Clean Street Food Hub Programme’ in August this year. Under this initiative, they will select 70 vendors and FSSAI will train and certify them. The FSSAI certification will help street vendors to sell their products in online food delivery platforms as well.

“The FSSAI’s programme and GHMC Street vending zone initiative have been combined to make this plastic-free street vendors’ zone . The vendors will be trained by FSSAI to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in their kiosks,” The zonal commissioner told Newsmeter.

This plastic-free street vending zone is envisaged to curb the garbage menace. Separate vending space will decongest the footpaths and busy roads. It also bars unauthorised vendors as they have not been provided with any area in these particular zones. Street vending zones also offer security and safety to the vendors.